Previewing Bellarmine-Paly and Los Gatos-Pioneer

Friday at 5 p.m. update: Yes, our commenting system has been down most of the day. My apologies for that — the timing is terrible. People much smarter than me are trying to get it fixed. As a loyal reader pointed out, someone please find out what SacFootball was doing this morning!

One more thought as I listen to the weather outside: the wind could play a huge factor. If it’s too gusty for Keller Chryst’s patented deep ball to Boyd, the Vikings offense could be in trouble. On the other hand, a little wind might keep Travis McHugh’s kickoffs in the field of play, giving B.J. Boyd a chance to add to his six return touchdowns. (Interestingly, McHugh didn’t even know Boyd had that many until I asked him about it. Guess you don’t have to worry much when you can kick it out of the end zone with such ease.)

Here are previews for both games. Enjoy the weekend, everybody. And if you end up at City College Friday night, the curly fries are excellent!

OPEN DIVISION
No. 2 Bellarmine (11-1) vs. No. 4 Palo Alto (10-2)

Schedules: The Bells went 7-0 in the West Catholic Athletic League and beat Mitty twice; their only loss came at nationally-ranked De La Salle in overtime. The Vikings beat TCAL champ San Benito to open the season and have topped Leland and St. Francis in the playoffs. Their only defeats are a 6-point loss to Mitty and a 3-point loss to Los Gatos.

How the Bells can win: They’ve been favored since camp, so they just need to keep doing what they’re doing. Mitty’s Cail McClenahen destroyed Palo Alto in September and Tim Crawley and Conner Jauch can be similar weapons in the passing games. McHugh is constantly on the move, either to his left or right, and he’ll have huge size mismatches if he can get around the edges. The Bells need to continue doing the two things they do better than anybody: They don’t go backwards on offense and they don’t turn the ball over.

How the Vikings can win: You have to go back to Sept. 2 to find the last time a team beat Bellarmine, but in that game you’ll find a blueprint for a potential Palo Alto win. De La Salle scored its first two touchdowns on a 90-yard punt return and a 69-yard touchdown pass, and B.J. Boyd is certainly capable of both. The Vikings have had turnover problems, but if they can hold onto the ball and hit Boyd over the top a couple of times, they’ll be right in it.

What they’re saying:
“We’ve got to rally to the ball and we’ve got to put pressure on (Chryst),” Joe Gigantino on how to stop Palo Alto’s offense.

“The WCAL teams know our offense and they know what’s coming, but Palo Alto doesn’t see it much. If we run it correctly, it’s hard to stop,” Travis McHugh.

“We had a lot of talent but we had to spread the speed around. Coach just came up to me after the Mitty (loss) and told me I’m moving,” B.J. Boyd, on his switch from running back to wide receiver. He’s had only eight rushes since.

“They’re a very talented group and they’ve been touted as the best team all year long. We’re going to find out if they are. We’ll be ready,” Palo Alto coach Earl Hansen after his team clinched a matchup with the Bells.

DIVISION II
No. 1 Los Gatos (10-1-1) vs. No. 2 Pioneer (9-3)

Schedules: Pioneer got blown out by Mitty early, but hung tough with Mt. Hamilton Division leaders Oak Grove and Leland. The Mustangs beat Terra Nova in the preseason and have outscored El Camino and South City 53-7 in two playoff wins. Los Gatos was the only De Anza Division team to beat Palo Alto, but a week later the Wildcats suffered a letdown at Milpitas. They beat Division I finalist Menlo-Atherton in their opener and were the only team to beat Oak Grove in the regular season.

How the Wildcats can win: Zeiter, Zeiter and more Zeiter. Garret, a senior running back, leads the Central Coast Section in rushes (290), rushing yards (2,409) and touchdowns (32). In his final high school game, he’s sure to see another heavy workload. The Mustangs have given up their share of rushing yards; Mitty ran for 232 and Oak Grove had 372. Neither of those teams had a fullback like Shane Smith, either. Like most teams, Los Gatos’ trouble this season has been turnover-related. The Wildcats turned it over three times in their only loss.

How the Mustangs can win: If Eric Perry has a sure-fire trick play in his back pocket, the first quarter Saturday night is the time to use it. If the Mustangs just trade run-heavy possessions with the Wildcats, they’ll be in trouble. But Los Gatos isn’t built to play from behind (just 85 passing attempts all year) so a quick score or two would be huge. Pioneer will also need a huge night from its 3-5 defense, which has given up just 13 points the last three weeks. Perry said earlier this week that he expects Zeiter to get his yards, but the defense needs to clamp down in the red zone. If Zeiter gets his usual 3-5 touchdown runs, Pioneer is in for a long night. But if the Mustangs can defend Los Gatos like they did Leland, well … game on.

What they’re saying:
“We’re going to have our hands full trying to match (Los Gatos’) size and power. So it’s going to be important to utilize our speed,” Perry, on the keys to beating Los Gatos.

“I don’t think you can. He’s going to get his 30 to 35 carries and his yards, but the goal is to keep him out of the end zone,” Perry on stopping Zeiter.

“You can’t celebrate winning against Palo Alto and go and throw it all away. (Milpitas) is a good team but we didn’t play well. We went through that twice this year, where we felt like practice wasn’t sharp after a big game. It was the same kind of situation after we beat Oak Grove,” Butch Cattolico on Los Gatos’ Palo Alto-Milpitas stretch.

“They run their offense really well. And with that 3-5 defense, your kids really have to have their heads up. It’s a defense we haven’t seen and it’s hard to show that in practice,” Cattolico on Pioneer.

“Everyone knows he’s carrying the ball and he’s still been great. He’ll take what you give him over and over again and he’ll pick up positive yards. And then he’ll come back and break one when there’s a hole,” Cattolico on Zeiter.

***I don’t want to get into much of the opt-up stuff that dominates this board, because frankly this weekend isn’t about that. We’ve all had our arguments, but at this point, it’s about two teams going out in each of these games and trying to win a championship. But I did ask Butch for his thoughts, and I thought I’d pass this along***

“I’ve been here for 12 section championships and I’ve never once seen a kid say ‘I wish we had played someone else.’ I think I have a good handle on it by now. It’s great for kids to have a championship, and that’s just my opinion. But I understand the other side of it.”

Alex Pavlovic

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My compliments to you Alex. There have been several times this season that you have taken the inquiries here online out to the source(s) that in my opinion proves you are in sync with your readers and are willing to ask the questions that your readers here would like to know.

“Put it all out on the table” questions with actual answers out weighs 10,000+ “opinions” any day of the week!

Thanks!

What Do You Think?

Couple of thoughts;

Butch just confirmed what we knew about him….consolation round championship are just fine by him… I guess the collaps at Milpitas wasnt such a bad thing for a guy who puts trophies in front of testing yourself against the best. Thanks for asking the question Alex.

Also, do you really need to provide any ready made excuses for your guy…. The wind?
What happened to being a balanced team?

You really think anyone is going to come in and out-rush Bellarmine? They need a huge night from Chryst/Boyd/Jayshawn/Braff – Alex

South Bay Guy

Sun is shining, no rain, no wind. Game time KO temp should be in the low 50s high 40s. It’s a glorious day for football.

What Do You Think?

Outrush the Bells… Did I say that?

If and when Palys offense doesn’t execute against a very sound defense… I don’t want to hear about the wind. The Vikingd have been touted for their balanced attack, prove it if one aspect of your dual threat offense isn’t working.

Let me remind you about the 2010 Willow Glen Rams who we all know are a pass first offense. They played Los Gatos ( with Zeiter and Smith) in the playoffs in a rain storm like I hadn’t seen at any playoff game. This game should have favored LG, but WG changed their offensive game plan and RAN their way to a victory. Had they lost I doubt they would have blamed the weather.

A championship team will find a way to win. This is Palys chance to prove it, just asking that you don’t cheapen a Bells victory (assuming they win) with a ready made excuse. IF Paly fails to execute, spare me the nerves, rain, wind, dirt in the face story line.

Good luck to both teams, I hope you both execute to the top of your ability.